The coauthor of Mastering the Art of French Cooking here shares an irresistible feast of reminiscence and recipes. Simone "Simca" Beck first met Julia Child in 1949 in the women's cooking club Cercle des Gourmettes in Paris. Soon the two began collaborating on what would be one of the most significant cookbooks in 20th-century America, and Simca became a mentor and friend to a generation of cooks and food writers. Here she mixes tantalizing recipes and menus with an evocative account of her Normandy childhood, her escapades in 1920s Paris, her work with Julia, and her friendships with James Beard, Craig Claiborne, M.F.K. Fisher, and Richard Olney.

"Beck is perhaps best known in this country as Julia Child's collaborator, but her own cookbooks further established her reputation and, now in her 80s, she continues to receive students from all over the world at her farmhouse in the south of France. Here she reminisces about her privileged childhood and unfortunate first marriage, happily followed by nearly 50 years of marriage to her 'dear Jean,' the deprivations and tragedies of life in World War II France, and the 'landmark' and 'fruitful years,' when she discovered her talent and vocation for cooking. Her memoirs are, of course, accompanied by her wonderful menus to mark occasions of all sorts, with a bonus section of other favorite dishes."—Library Journal